Opinion Please: Tilesaws

The wife’s planning on a backspash in our new kitchen.

She’ll be needing a tile saw.  She’ll be working, I’m assuming, with subway tiles.

I’m really not a fan of renting, but I don’t really know.

I’ve seen on Teh Depot and Lowe’s sites tabletops for about $100, which is the cost of renting for a day.

Suggestions?

Thanks.

Yea if your not cutting any large format tiles one of the little table top saws from Home Depot, Lowes, or even Harbor freight should be fine.

One thing to keep in mind is that some of the cheaper / used tile saws are little table saws without the safety features / blade guards of big table saws.  While tile saws with abrasive blades won’t cut your fingers off quite like a table saw will, they will ruin your day if you slip into it.  So, be sure to wear good gloves/goggles and look for a tile saw that has a sliding tray or fence for the work piece rather than trying to slide it across a piece of hard plastic and keep it straight manually.

I purchased the $100 version at HD about 8 years ago. I thought I was only going to use it once for a tile project in my bathroom. I’ve actually used it about 10 times for various projects. It works great as long as you go slow.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/QEP-3-4-HP-Wet-Tile-Saw-with-7-in-Diamond-Blade-22650Q/202615612

I am with kdv, I prefer the ones with the sliding tray, to me it makes for an easier cut.

I’m a slider guy too. But I did buy a Rigid R4020 7″ wet saw. It does not have a sliding table but it has cut everything I have thrown at it. That includes several boxes of subway tile.

I bought one of the slider saws at Harbor Freight to cut geodes and rocks.

It’s durable and has held up to the unusual shaped stuff, I would not hesitate to use it to cut tile.

kdv wrote:

One thing to keep in mind is that some of the cheaper / used tile saws are little table saws without the safety features / blade guards of big table saws. While tile saws with abrasive blades won’t cut your fingers off quite like a table saw will, they will ruin your day if you slip into it. So, be sure to wear good gloves/goggles and look for a tile saw that has a sliding tray or fence for the work piece rather than trying to slide it across a piece of hard plastic and keep it straight manually.

The ever controversial topic about gloves I don’t even like having them in my shop so many accidents are caused by wearing gloves or loose clothing and long sleeves if a thread was to catch that spinning blade; bye bye. Tile saws aren’t to terrible but still be safe with machinery and be prepared for the worse out comes.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Jack Tibbetts wrote:

The ever controversial topic about gloves I don’t even like having them in my shop so many accidents are caused by wearing gloves or loose clothing and long sleeves if a thread was to catch that spinning blade; bye bye. Tile saws aren’t to terrible but still be safe with machinery and be prepared for the worse out comes.

 

I’m mostly with you on the gloves issue.  My rule is – if the blade can slice right through the gloves, there’s no point in wearing them and they just slow you down and make you less safe.  On the other hand, if the power tool in question will give you a nasty burn or can be stopped by leather (i.e. an abrasive blade, cutting wheel on a grinder), then I’d rather have the gloves just in case. I’ve had a cutting wheel shatter at speed and bounce around.  If I hadn’t been wearing gloves, I’d have had some severe lacerations on my fingers from the shrapnel.

Long hair, loose clothing, hanging threads – all of those should be banished / secured before you even pick up any power tool.  I saw a video of someone going through shop safety and the thing that stuck with me was – “what would happen if you lost your balance and fell – where would you hit and what would hit you.”  In other words, don’t lean over and across spinning blades and reach just a little bit farther just to get something done a bit faster.

I’ve laid probably 4,000 sq. ft. Of 12×12 tile with the Ridgid R4020 and I don’t regret my purchase one bit.

It’s a great little saw, makes good cuts, and cleans easy.

If you aren’t tiling all the time, it stores super easy, all the accessories store on board, and it’s a reservoir cooled saw so you don’t have a pump to worry about.

It’s not worth a shit for 16×16, but it’s the perfect saw for the occasional tiler or DIY guy. It’s honestly my favorite Ridgid product.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-7-in-Job-Site-Wet-Tile-Saw-R4020/202518378

Thanks conductor I’m definitely gonna check this one out 2! I have to do our restroom and this one looks nice! I think this ones a winner Noob an the price is right in my opinion.

Bigmikez wrote:

Thanks conductor I’m definitely gonna check this one out 2! I have to do our restroom and this one looks nice! I think this ones a winner Noob an the price is right in my opinion.

I’m thinkin’ I’m in agreement.

Thanks for all the tips guys.

Kobalt saw from lowes <$200. Good quality. Small and easy to use. Unmatched warranty.